Garnet Gateway Access for Parents

Making sure your parents have access to your student bill

Bates students use the Garnet Gateway to register for classes, view grades, and review important financial aid and student account information. Parents and other individuals authorized by their students can also view this information on the Garnet Gateway, using their own credentials.

In order for parents to view their student’s information, the student must authorize access. The student has the ability to authorize access for all or a combination of his or her academic, financial aid, and student account information. Access can be granted to parents, step-parents, grandparents, or other individuals and can be established for all areas or limited to a particular area — the student account, for example — depending upon the student’s preferences, and can be updated at any time by the student.

Parents who do not currently have access to student information on the Garnet Gateway, but who would like to have access to financial aid, eBill or other online records should talk with their students about having access granted.

How do I grant access for my parent or other individual to see my financial aid and/or student account information on the Garnet Gateway?

To grant access, go to the Garnet Gateway and click on the “Authorize Account View” tab. You’ll be presented with a FERPA statement that you’ll need to read and agree to, and then you’ll be brought to a page where you can select the person or persons for whom you’d like to grant access. Select a name from the drop-down box, and then choose the types of information that you’d like that person to be able to view. Once you submit your selections, Bates will create a user ID and PIN that will be mailed to the person to whom you granted access. An email confirmation of your selections will be sent to you and the person you’ve authorized to view your information.

I want my parents to be able to see my financial aid and student account information, but not my grades — is this possible?

Yes. Access is available for as few or as many of the options presented — you can allow different people to see different things. You can update or change access at any time.

If someone other than my parent is responsible for my Bates financial account, can I add that person as an authorized viewer?

Yes. You can authorize any individual to have access to your online information, although we urge you to consider carefully who will have access to your information before you grant that access. Please note that it is not necessary for you to grant access in order to have your academic record sent to a third-party — you can use the Garnet Gateway to request an official transcript.

How do I add other individuals as authorized viewers?

Click on “Request Authorized View” under the Billing & Student Accounts menu. Make sure you fill out the form completely. It will take between 24 and 72 hours to add a person to your authorization list. Check back each weekday to see if the person is available on the Authorize Account View tab. Once he or she appears on the list, you may grant them access.

How do I remove an authorized viewer?

Simply uncheck the boxes that are checked authorizing access, and submit your changes.

If my parent forgets his or her PIN, who should they contact?

If your parent forgets a PIN, he or she can use the Forgot PIN feature on the login page. Your parent can enter his or her ID number, then click on Forgot PIN – the PIN can be changed after your parent responds to his or her security question. If this does not work, please ask your parent to contact Help Desk Services at (207) 786-8222.

How long will it take for Bates to send my parent a PIN?

After you have granted access to your parent or other authorized individual, a letter containing Garnet Gateway credentials will be mailed to that person’s home mailing address. It takes about a week for this letter to reach US addresses.

My parents are able to access the Garnet Gateway from home, but get an error message when trying to access it from their place of employment – why is this?

Many businesses have a fire wall that will not allow access to some outside Internet sites. Your parent may wish to contact the network administrator at his or her workplace to see if an adjustment can be made to the fire wall software to allow access to the Garnet Gateway.

Who should my parents contact if they have questions about what they see behind the Garnet Gateway?

If your parents have questions concerning your student account or financial aid, they can contact Student Financial Services at (207) 786-6096. If they have questions about your grades, academic holds, or transcript, they can contact the Office of the Registrar and Academic Systems at (207) 755-5949.

What is FERPA and is student authorization necessary?

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is the federal law which protects the privacy of students and prohibits colleges and universities from disclosing any information from a student’s education records without the authorization of the student. For more information on FERPA, please refer to the Bates College Catalog.